Aaron Schmidt

About

Aaron Schmidt is the Director of the Harvard Program in Virology and an Associate Professor in the Department of Microbiology. Originally from Wisconsin, he moved to Massachusetts for his undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral studies, ultimately becoming a Bostonian while retaining his Midwestern sensibilities. He holds a Ph.D. in Virology from Harvard University, where he worked in the Harrison Lab. As the head of the Schmidt Lab, Aaron leads research efforts in virology, managing his team and their projects. Outside of his professional work, he enjoys watching television and B-rated horror films.

Research topics

• Biology
• Virology
• Immunology
• Cell biology
• Internal medicine
• Medicine
• Chemistry
• Biochemistry
• Genetics
• Obstetrics

Selected publications

• SARS-CoV-2 Receptor ACE2 Is an Interferon-Stimulated Gene in Human Airway Epithelial Cells and Is Detected in Specific Cell Subsets across Tissues

  Cell · 2020 · 2482 citations

  There is pressing urgency to understand the pathogenesis of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus clade 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which causes the disease COVID-19. SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) protein binds angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), and in concert with host proteases, principally transmembrane serine protease 2 (TMPRSS2), promotes cellular entry. The cell subsets targeted by SARS-CoV-2 in host tissues and the factors that regulate ACE2 expression remain unknown. Here, we leverage human,…

  DOI

• Multiple SARS-CoV-2 variants escape neutralization by vaccine-induced humoral immunity

  Cell · 2021 · 1538 citations

  DOI

• SARS-CoV-2 Infection Depends on Cellular Heparan Sulfate and ACE2

  Cell · 2020 · 1193 citations

  DOI

• mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccine boosters induce neutralizing immunity against SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant

  Cell · 2022 · 1089 citations

  DOI

• Loss of Bcl-6-Expressing T Follicular Helper Cells and Germinal Centers in COVID-19

  Cell · 2020 · 774 citations

  DOI

Recent grants

• Core A: Administrative Core

  NIH · $74.1M · 2011–2028

• Epitope focusing by molecular grafting of subdominant epitopes to achieve a universal-influenza vaccine

  NIH · $4.2M · 2019–2024

• Molecular Basis of Viral Infectivity

  NIH · $13.9M · 1983–2029

Frequent coauthors

• Blake M. Hauser

  University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

  129 shared

• Jared Feldman

  Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard

  119 shared

• Stephen C. Harrison

  Queen's University

  109 shared

• Timothy M. Caradonna

  Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard

  87 shared

• Dan H. Barouch

  Harvard University

  66 shared

• Daniel Lingwood

  Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard

  60 shared

• Galit Alter

  Moderna Therapeutics (United States)

  50 shared

• Goran Bajic

  Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

  48 shared

Labs

• The Schmidt LaboratoryPI

Education

• Ph.D. Virology

  Harvard University

  2011

• B.Sc. Biology

  Emmanuel College

  2005

• B.Sc. Chemistry

  Emmanuel College

  2005

Similar researchers at Harvard University

• Joseph Sodroskih-184
• John Mekalanosh-147
• Harvey Cantorh-118